The German women and Japanese men finished first in qualification in the team portion of the 30th DTB Cup, held Friday at Stuttgart's Porsche Arena.

The top four teams from Friday advance to the finals on Saturday (men) and Sunday (women), following the individual World Cup all-around contests. Each squad consists of up to four gymnasts, with up to three competing per event and the top two scores counting toward the team total.

Olympic vault finalist Janine Berger helped the German women squeak past Russia, 106.00-105.75. Berger's 14.10 was the top vault score, while world team member Lisa-Katharina Hill contributed the second-best score on uneven bars.

Koji Uematsu (Japan)

Russia put up only two gymnasts on floor exercise and vault after the withdrawal of 2011 world team member Yulia Inshina. The team was forced to count Anna Rodionova's 12.20 on vault as well as her 11.40 for a weak floor exercise (double tuck; 1 1/2 to full; front full; crashed 2 1/2 twist dismount).

Superstar Aliya Mustafina competed two events for Russia, returning to competition after winning four medals at the Olympics in London. She performed a simplified set on uneven bars for the top mark of 14.80 (Stalder-full to Maloney; piked Jaeger; Pak to Stalder-half; toe-on full to full-twisting double). She had the second-best score on balance beam with several breaks (double turn; switch ring; front aerial) but nailed her standing Arabian.

Japan finished third thanks to the best top total on floor exercise, topped by 13.60 from Wakane Inoue and 13.40 from upstart Mai Murakami.

A second squad from Germany rounded out the four teams advancing to Sunday's final. Austria finished fifth ahead of Switzerland and a third German squad.

The men's qualification saw 10 teams fighting for the four spots to the final. The Japanese barely edged Brazil out of first place, 176.35-176.20. The Japanese outscored the field handily on parallel bars (15.45 from Kenya Kobayashi and 15.10 from Koji Uematsu), but the team total on floor exercise was just ninth. The team also had the best total on pommel horse with three 14s.

Olympic still rings champion Arthur Zanetti led Brazil with the top marks of the day on rings (15.50) as well as vault (16.10).

2012 Olympian Sam Oldham and world all-around medalist Daniel Keatings led the British men to third. Oldham earned the best score on floor exercise (15.15, tied Russia's Nikita Ignatyev) and Keatings contributed three scores in the 14s.

Russia grabbed the fourth and final spot to the final. Olympic medalist Denis Ablyazin scored just behind Zanetti on both still rings (15.25) and vault (16.05).

A young German squad finished fifth, missing out on the final by less than 1 point. The team had the best total on high bar (including Christopher Jursch's top score of 15.60) but weak pommel horse and still rings left the host team out of the final.

German men's head coach Andreas Hirsch said he was disappointed, but noted that the team was without its Olympic stars. Double Olympic silver medalist Marcel Nguyen is slated to compete in Sunday's World Cup event.

"It was clear that after the Olympic Games, a generational change was taking place," Hirsch said. "So it's good that we introduce the young gymnasts to international competition. I feel the team did very well, but clearly there is still a lot of work to do."

Switzerland finished sixth, followed by Puerto Rico, Canada, the Netherlands and a mixed German/Azerbaijan squad.

Competition continues Saturday with the women's World Cup all-around event, followed by the men's team final. The women's team final takes place Sunday after the men's World Cup competition.

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